Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
Most gluten-free pumpkin breads taste “good for gluten-free.” This one just tastes good. The secret lies in how pumpkin purée’s natural starches and pectins work with the flour’s built-in xanthan gum, eggs, and sugars to form structure—so the loaf rises tall and tender without any extra gums.
🤓 The Science Behind the Structure
Pumpkin purée is rich in soluble fiber and starches that gently gel during baking, binding the crumb much like gluten would. Meanwhile, the mix of granulated and brown sugar locks in moisture and helps the crust set early, creating that signature dome.
Balanced flour, pumpkin starches, and controlled moisture yield a loaf that’s light yet cohesive—a reminder that great gluten-free baking isn’t about substitution, but understanding the chemistry that makes it work.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (1:1 blend with xanthan gum; e.g., King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup neutral oil (canola or light olive)
- ¼ cup milk or dairy-free milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment.
- Dry mix: Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Wet mix: In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin, both sugars, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine: Fold dry into wet just until no dry streaks remain — do not overmix.
- Bake: Pour into pan, smooth the top, and bake 55–65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
- Cool: Rest 15 minutes in the pan, then lift to a rack to cool completely before slicing.
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